Mail Carrier Targeted Westchester Homes In Fraud, ID Theft Plot: Feds

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A postal worker is accused of looting the mail that should have been bound for mailboxes at Westchester homes.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Matthew Modafferi, the Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, announced on Thursday that Tameka Babulal, a United States Postal Service mail carrier in Mount Vernon, was arrested for stealing credit cards, checks, and identities from the mail on her route in order to carry out a scheme and conspiracy to fraudulently steal money from individuals and financial institutions.

Tameka Babulal, a/k/a "Tameka Williams," a/k/a "Sharniece Williams," a/k/a "Meek Williams," along with her husband Joel Babulal, a/k/a "Joel Nical Babulal," were arrested Thusday morning in Long Island, and appeared Thursday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy.

"The charges against the defendants reflect this Office’s continued commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the U.S. mail system," Williams said. "As alleged, Tameka Babulal abused her position as a mail carrier, targeted victims on her mail route, and stole their identities to carry out an extensive and calculated scheme to line her and her co-conspirators' pockets. When those entrusted to deliver mail abuse their position to corrupt our mail system from within, this Office will hold them responsible for their conduct."

According to court documents, Babulal is a mail carrier who was tasked with delivering mail to and from residents and businesses with mail going through the USPS Processing and Distribution Center in Mount Vernon. Instead, she used her position to steal mail as part of a fraud and identity theft scheme aimed at illicitly benefitting herself and her co-conspirators, including her husband.

Babulal allegedly stole checks mailed from victims, stole credit cards mailed to victims and then attempted to use those cards for personal gain, deposited altered checks that were stolen from victims throughout the U.S. into personal financial accounts, and coordinated with co-conspirators to obtain the personal identifying information of victims she targeted on her mail route so that fraudulent accounts could be opened in the victims' names.

According to the complaint, the evidence obtained during the course of law enforcement’s investigation includes photographs from Babulal's cloud storage account connected to her phone, emails and phone calls she made to financial institutions, fraudulent credit card applications, and messages between her and her co-conspirators as part of their fraud scheme and conspiracy. Joel Babulal is alleged to have participated in the conspiracy.

"U.S. Postal Service employees who betray the American Public’s trust by using their position for personal gain will be thoroughly investigated by the Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General," Modafferi said. "The dedicated work of Postal Service employees should never be overshadowed by those who compromise their integrity. Our agency values all of our relationships in the law enforcement community, and we would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York for their continued support."

When law enforcement conducted a search of the Babulal residence in Long Island on Thursday morning, officers recovered dozens of credit cards and checks in other people’s names, including "washed" checks; several bundles of undelivered mail, including from financial institutions, destined for addresses on Babulal’s mail route in Mount Vernon; several social security cards and tax documents in other people’s names; and 17 phones, including phones allegedly used in the fraud scheme and conspiracy.

Due to these allegations, Babulal’s employment with USPS will be suspended indefinitely pending resolution of the charges, postal officials said.

36-year-old Babulal, of Hempstead, is charged with one count of theft of mail by a postal worker, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count each of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison.

Her husband, 36-year-old Joel Babulal, of Hempstead, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Williams praised the investigative work of the Northeast Area Field Office of the USPS-Office of the Inspector General, and thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its continued involvement in this investigation.